Collisions
by rubberglue
Summary: Cats, underwear, umbrellas and selfies all make for romance, apparently.


Merlin was going on about UFO sightings and some other things when Arthur heard scratching. Moving the phone from his ear, he moved closer to his door. There was no doubt. Someone or something was scratching at his door.

He told Merlin this.

"Are you sure? Most people knock and isn't your apartment secured?" Then Merlin perked up. "Maybe it's a ghost. I've heard that –"

"It's not a ghost, Merlin. They don't exist." Peering through the peephole, Arthur was slightly perturbed that he couldn't see anyone or anything. So he repeated himself. "Ghosts don't exist, except in the weird parts of your mind."

"I have a good spell you can use to –"

"Goodbye Merlin."

Tossing the phone onto his sofa, Arthur grabbed the door knob, counted to five and flung the door open.

A black cat with large green eyes stared up at him. For a brief moment, he thought the cat had a bleeding mouth, then realised that it was holding on to a piece of red cloth.

"Hello," said Arthur as he kneeled down. "You're not a ghost."

Unperturbed by his attempt at communication, the cat continued to stare at him. Carefully, Arthur reached out and tugged the cloth from the cat.

"Hey Merlin. The scratching was a cat delivering a red thong to me. This new apartment is turning out to be pretty interesting."

* * *

One. Two. Three. You can do this, Gwen.

Letting out the breath she was holding, Gwen placed her foot on the last step, her eyes fixed on the only door on that level. Trust Excalibur to run straight up to the most expensive apartment in her building. The person who lived behind that door was probably some stiff, rich person who, like all those who patronised her shop, would look down at her and sniff. The sniffing was going to be worse when they saw that Excalibur was missing part of her ear and was more mongrel cat than any of the fancy purebreds people of his type preferred.

And that was ignoring the fact that Gwen was pretty sure Excalibur had taken off with her underwear in her mouth.

Maybe she should just abandon Excalibur. After all, Excalibur had lived many years on the streets before Gwen picked him up. She may not have thrived the way she was doing now, but clearly Excalibur was able to survive. Gwen wasn't quite sure if she would survive this embarrassment. Saying a silent apology to Excalibur, Gwen started to turn around.

"Hello!" A far too cheerful voice called out and she hesitated.

So he didn't exactly sound like any of the posh, insufferable people who she dealt with at work. But that wry amusement that threaded through his voice didn't give her much hope that he was going to be any better than them.

"I don't suppose you were looking for your cat?"

Right on cue, Excalibur mewed piteously. The same meow that had prompted her to pick him up and smuggle him into her apartment.

Gwen closed her eyes, braced herself for the coming humiliation and turned around slowly. She peeled open her eyes to see a tall, blond man, probably about her age, leaning against the bannister, amusement dancing in his eyes as he looked down at her. Excalibur was cradled in his arms, eyes shut and snuggled into his chest.

"Is this yours?" He raised his eyebrows and looked down at Excalibur. "It's a cute thing, although I was under the impression that this building didn't allow pets."

Gwen lifted her chin, the sharp sting of annoyance easily replacing the burning embarrassment in her stomach. "It doesn't. And Excalibur isn't a pet."

"Excalibur." One side of his mouth lifted. "So, if Excalibur isn't a pet, what is it?"

"He's family."

This time, he broke into a wide smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling, making him even more attractive. Gwen scowled and when he took a step towards her, she quickly took one back.

"Hey," he said gently, his eyes widening at her retreat. He probably thought he could charm anyone with that smile and those twinkling eyes. "I just wanted to pass this dead weight to you. Don't worry, I won't complain about it."

With that same gentleness, he placed Excalibur into her arms. His fingers brushed against her arm and it must have been some sort of static energy that went through her. Naturally, this was the moment Excalibur decided it didn't want to be carried, unsheathed it claws and dug into Gwen's arms. With a yelp, she dropped him to the floor. She should have left him to survive on his own.

"For family, he doesn't seem to like you much."

Gwen picked up Excalibur again, ignoring his squirming and holding him tight against her. "Thank you very much, Mr?"

His smile widened again. "Call me Arthur."

"Thank you Arthur," said Gwen as primly as she could. Since he hadn't said anything about any underwear, she wasn't about to bring it up. What was she going to say? Hey Arthur, did my cat also bring you my underwear? Nope. She nodded at him, held on to Excalibur and walked back down the stairs.

"Hey, what's your name?"

She walked a little bit faster, and prayed that he didn't see which apartment she went into.

* * *

"I've keyed in the baker's number in your phone. She's apparently in huge demand so make sure you call her early or Morgana will have your hide."

Arthur looked up from the computer screen and sighed. "Why did I volunteer to get Uther's birthday cake?"

"All you have to do is choose something chocolate, a decent design, confirm the details with the baker and make sure it's ready for the wedding." Merlin pushed Arthur's phone across the table, then leaned back on his chair, almost tilting it over. "It's not that difficult."

Arthur typed in a curt response to an email from a competitor, then looked back at Merlin, who for a personal assistant, looked far too free. "Morgana argues with Dad all the time. I don't know why she decided to throw such a huge party for him. I hate to think about what she has up her sleeves."

"Your Pendragon drama is none of my business. Although I did offer to cast a love spell on Morgana, make her feel more loving towards Uther, not that Uther deserves it."

"Merlin, I don't care what you do in your free time, but please don't cast spells on my family or anyone I care about."

"Have any spell I cast gone wrong?"

Arthur snorted. "How about the one in which you turned my hair green? I had to wear a cap for a week, until you figured something out. And seriously, you're the only magic user in the world and you spend it trying to find UFOs?"

"That was just a little blip." Merlin shrugged and grinned. "No harm done."

"A little blip? How about using it to find out - you know what, never mind. I need the documents for the new marketing campaign by tomorrow. Go and do what I pay you for and stop playing around with your magic."

"Don't forget to call the baker!"

Arthur rolled his eyes at Merlin's back, then returned his attention to his work. Half an hour later, he found himself thinking of the woman with the cat and the red thong who lived below him. Although he'd glanced at the names on the letter boxes that morning, he still had no idea who she was. And if there was one thing Arthur hated, it was a mystery.

* * *

Dropping her bag to the ground and deftly avoiding the mewing Excalibur, Gwen made her way to her kitchen to put down her groceries. After a long day at work, all she wanted was to pop the frozen pizza into the oven, put her legs up and watch some television. Making sure her phone was on the counter in case she got any 'important' calls from her clients who didn't seem to understand the concept of office hours, she pulled out the frozen pizzas she bought and started the oven up. She was just about finished with her salad when her phone buzzed. Licking her spoon, she picked up the phone and clicked on the message.

When the photo attached to the message loaded to reveal the grinning face of her neighbour upstairs, she almost dropped her phone. What got her heart racing was that his grinning face was attached to a very fit, shirtless body. And he was wet, as if he'd just got out of the shower. Wet and far too sexy. Once she got over the shock, anger began to boil in her. How did he get her number? Did he think she was easy just because he got his hands on her thong? Jerk. Which was exactly what she typed into the phone before she erased it. It didn't have the cutting edge she wanted. Oh god, Gwen knew she was terrible at comeback lines, often thinking up one hours after the time to use it. Her thumb hovered over the phone as several possible replies ran through her head.

The phone buzzed in her hand and she jumped.

Wrong number. Very sorry.

Gwen scowled at the phone. Wrong number, her ass. He was toying with her now. Now she was far too annoyed to think up something smart.

How in the hell did you get this number?

For the next few seconds, Gwen stared at her phone. How did he get her number? Had he bribed her landlord? Flirted with the neighbours?

You are the owner of Magic Moments, right?

He even knew where she worked? What a creep. Gwen's anger continued to bubble.

Just because you have my underwear, that doesn't give you the right to stalk me like that. One more message and I'll call the police on you.

Gwen put her phone back on the counter and continued to toss her salad with a lot more fervour than needed. Men – they were all jerks. She should have known that after her ill-fated relationships with Kieran and the ever-disappearing Lance.

When the phone rang, she glared at it. No way was she going to talk to Mr Jerk Face. But phone kept ringing. Even when it got cut off, it simply rang again. She picked up the phone, about to block his number, but apparently her fingers no longer listened to her brain.

"Hello?"

She really should hang up. Instead, she sucked in a breath and put the phone to her ear. "Hello. Didn't you get my message? I'm pretty sure I didn't send it to the wrong number."

Even his chuckle sent shivers down her spine and she disliked him even more. She had to remember, no matter how sexy he looked wet or sounded on the phone, he was a creepy stalker. "No. It's Arthur, from upstairs but you knew that already."

Clasping the phone between her shoulder and ear, she bent to remove the pizzas from the oven. One margarita and one with spinach. Hopefully their deliciousness would improve her night. "Yes," she replied as coldly as possible. "I realise that."

"And you are apparently Gwen from Magic Moments."

"Is there a point to this conversation?"

He chuckled again. She really had to stop her body from responding to him. "Well, as you pointed out, I do still have your underwear and secondly, you are apparently the baker who my sister chose to do the birthday cake for the birthday party of the century."

"Morgana LeFay is your sister?" Gwen dropped the pizzas onto the counter, then bent over, leaning her elbows on it. Morgana LeFay had been her biggest scoop - the one client who would send her small shop to new heights – and her brother was holding on to her underwear. She rubbed her face and sighed.

"Half-sister actually. Give me your apartment number and I'll pop over with your underwear and maybe we can discuss my sister's cake."

Excalibur, realising it was way past dinner time, meowed and rubbed against her legs. Gwen scowled at him. "This is all your fault. You can wait for your dinner."

"I'm sorry? Actually, have you had dinner? We could go for dinner."

"Why did you send that photo?"

"Ah." For the first time, Arthur sounded embarrassed. "It was for a friend actually. Guess my wet fingers weren't great at aiming. I'm really sorry about that."

Gwen stifled a scoff. A friend. She was pretty sure Arthur had many, many friends. "I have plans for tonight. I'll contact you during business hours tomorrow."

"Right. That sounds good." For a moment, she thought that he sounded a little disappointed. Good for him, Gwen thought. Men like Arthur needed rejection more often.

"Goodbye," said Gwen, then she hung up before Arthur could chuckle again in her ear.

* * *

Arthur swivelled his chair so it was looking out of the large window of his office. Rain pattered against the glass in a soothing rhythm and he drummed his fingers on the armrest in time. He was going to give her till after lunch to contact him. If not, he was going to call her. As intrigued as he was by her, Arthur wasn't about to seem too desperate. Still, he couldn't help check the clock again. Five minutes to noon. He checked his phone again. Messages from Morgana but no call from Gwen the baker with the red thong.

With the rain pouring down outside, Arthur usually had lunch sent up to his office but waiting for Gwen to call him had him feeling antsy. Grabbing his jacket and an umbrella, he walked out of his office. Hopefully a walk to the nearby coffee shop would calm his nerves and perhaps, Gwen would call by then. He wouldn't pick up his phone on the first ring of course – that would appear too eager - but he was determined not to miss her call. Phone in one hand, umbrella in another, Arthur stepped into the pouring rain and right into a puddle. Immediately, regret flooded him but it was too late to return to his office. Elena and Merlin would have a right laugh about it. The coffee shop was only a few shops down anyway.

Arthur was just turning the corner when something hard jabbed into his stomach.

Swearing, Arthur dropped his umbrella as he bent over and clutched his stomach. God, it hurt. And now, it wasn't just his shoes that were wet. He swore again and looked up.

Right into the eyes of Gwen.

Only, instead of the cool look she'd given him when she'd collected her cat, she was now looking at him with eyes wide with horror and shock. "Oh dear! Are you alright?"

She dropped her own umbrella that was still unopened and her hands started to roam over his wet body. Pushing them away, unnerved by how good her hands felt on him, Arthur glared at her. "Opening your umbrella while turning the corner is such a dumb thing to do."

The worry in her eyes disappeared and she straightened, hands on her hips, looking down at him. "Well, my umbrella was clearly there so it's obvious you weren't paying attention. Probably busy sending more photos of yourself wet to your friends."

Arthur tried to stand up straight so he could tower over her, but his stomach rebelled and he found himself leaning, hunched over against the building instead. "Been thinking a lot about my photo, have you?" He manage to huff out, even as his stomach throbbed.

When he looked at her again, she was biting her lips and the worry had returned to her eyes. Water slid down her face and her curls were plastered to her face. More disturbingly, her clothes were now moulded to her and despite the pain, his mind was going off in all the wrong directions. She looked like a drowned rat, he told himself. A very attractive drowned rat. With an exasperated sigh, she took a step towards him. "Are you alright?"

He nodded. "Yes, just give me a moment."

She picked up her umbrella, opened it with little incident, leaned against the wall next to him and sheltered them both.

"A little too late, don't you think? We're both soaked through."

"No reason to get even wetter," said Gwen with a shrug, as she pushed her wet hair from her face. "Look, I'm sorry I shoved my umbrella into your stomach."

At the apology in her tone, Arthur's annoyance faded and he smiled. "It's alright. I'm not in danger of dying. In fact, since we're together, how about some lunch?"

"Lunch?"

"We have a cake to discuss."

Gwen gave him a look, a mix of incredulity and judgement. "We're both soaked through."

"Good point. How about you give me your apartment number and we discuss things at your place tonight over dinner?"

Arthur could see the reluctance in her eyes and was just about to mention her sexy, red thong when she nodded. "7pm. Apartment 4C. I'm not cooking."

"Brilliant. I'll bring dinner. Do you like Chinese?"

"Chinese will be fine. And it's not a date, so don't get any funny ideas."

He smiled at her. "Of course not."

* * *

It's not a date, Gwen told herself. So it didn't matter if she wore the bright red top with the plunging neckline or the light blue one with the frills. At least she'd already chosen to wear her favourite jeans. In any awkward situation, it was always best to be dressed for comfort. It made running away easier.

The doorbell rang and coward as he was, Excalibur escaped into her room. Gwen only hoped that he didn't turn up in the middle of her meeting with Arthur with more underwear.

Gwen swore. Had she really spent half an hour deciding on a top? Clearly going out with nothing but her bra was the worst idea so she grabbed the nearest top – the bright red one – and tugged it on. Who knew Arthur was the punctual sort? Her experience with rich clients suggested that they saw her time as worth less than theirs.

Quickly smoothing down her hair, Gwen pulled open the door.

"Hello!" Arthur grinned at her. "I come bearing Chinese food."

She stepped aside, bubbling with barely repressed annoyance at his acting as if they were buddies underneath the smile she gave him, and gestured for Arthur to enter. "You can put them in the kitchen."

"Right. Have you ever wondered what moo shu pork means?" Arthur asked as he walked into her small kitchen. "I googled it but never got past looking at the photos."

Following him, Gwen watched as he deftly took out the packets of food from the bag he'd been holding. Obviously, Arthur was an expert with take-out. She wondered why, she thought with a roll of her eyes. Perching on a kitchen stool, Gwen took a spring roll and popped it in her mouth.

Arthur lifted his eyebrows. "You know, you haven't said a thing since I arrived."

"I'm considering how to greet an important client I don't like," Gwen said around bites of the spring roll then reached for the bag to find out where Arthur got the food from.

Much to her dismay, Arthur dragged the other stool so that they sat side by side instead of across the counter. His elbow bumped against her arm as he reached over to pull the box of noodles towards him. Goosebumps prickled her skin and she moved her arm away. "As a very successful businessman, the answer to that dilemma of yours is to suck up to me. Noodles?"

"Are we eating out of the box?"

He flashed her another of his bright smiles. "Save the earth and everything. The less resources we use, blah blah blah. Here."

Why Gwen obediently opened her mouth when Arthur moved a chopstick full of noodles towards her. Not only did having him feed her seem far too intimate but there was no way she could look professional with noodles dangling from her mouth.

Again, disarming her with his chuckle, Arthur lifted a hand and helped her with her dangling noodles.

"I guess you suck up to all your clients then. Typical," she muttered at she chewed on her noodles. She wasn't even sure why she was acting this way. Maybe because she knew how all her well-to-do clients behaved. The nicer ones were somewhat condescending, the not so nice ones blatantly rude. Or maybe it was the suspicion that if she didn't keep up a prickly exterior, she might succumb far too easily to Arthur's blue eyes and smile. This, she reminded herself, was a man who sent wet selfies to random females and stole their underwear.

"Well, in a manner of speaking. I gather you don't since you seem to suffer from a lack of practise. But now I'm here, you can practise with me."

She slanted an incredulous look at him, then took the second of the three spring rolls. "I'll have you know that all my clients love me."

"It must be your wonderful cakes. Do you always talk with your mouth full?"

"You're such a snob and I swallowed before I spoke."

Arthur shook his head. "Hey, it was just a question. No judgement. I mean, if you want to put your elbows on the table and double dip the sauce, I'm all for it. More noodles?"

Without thinking, she opened her mouth again, only to snap it shut when the chopstick moved to her mouth. "Damn it."

Grabbing a handful of serviettes, Arthur started to pat at her chest. She slapped his hands away and scowled at him. "Leave it. I'll change my top."

* * *

As the door to her bedroom closed, Arthur couldn't help but think that it was symbolic of his chances with Gwen. Merlin would say that he let his mouth run off without thinking again. But Gwen made him nervous and he made the dumbest decisions in front of her. Like hinting that she should be nice to him because he had money. What fool did that? Well, his father came to mind, and to be fair, it wasn't the first time he'd flaunted his money for privileges, but if there was one goal Arthur had in life, it was to not be his father. That his other goal was to be as successful as his father made life a little complex for him.

He chewed on some noodles and thought. It was probably best to start being professional with her. At the very least, he could salvage Uther's birthday cake. He was still brooding when her bedroom door opened and Gwen stepped out.

"Sorry about that," he said. Her only response was to nod. Without saying anything, she grabbed a plate, moved her stool further from him and sat. She scooped some noodles, some pork and some vegetables onto her plate, then started to eat. All in complete silence, her eyes shifting from her food to him, as if worried he was about to pounce.

"I didn't mean to make you feel defensive."

"I wasn't."

Arthur winced at the sharp tone. It was now or never. "I didn't mean to imply that my money meant you should treat me better. And I didn't mean to criticise you, especially when the way you eat is the possibly the most adorable – right, um maybe we should talk about cake."

Gwen didn't answer immediately, but looked steadily at him. Then she sighed and dropped her gaze to the counter. "You were a bit of a jerk, but so was I."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call you a jerk," said Arthur slowly. "How about we start anew?"

With a smile, she stretched out a hand. Arthur thought he could watch her smile forever and never tire of how her eyes lit up. "I'm Gwen and I run Magic Moments."

"I'm Arthur and I'm supposed to be ordering a fancy cake from you." Her hand was small and delicate in his, except for the slight roughness. He wanted to hold her hand but he let it go. "Shall we talk cake and eat?"

* * *

"Mithian," said Arthur, looking far too comfortable on her sofa, one arm stretched across the back, his fingers occasionally brushing against her shoulder, sending little jolts of heat through her, "is a childhood friend. Our parents did business together. And I was just playing around when I attempted to send her that selfie."

Gwen tried to ignore not only the fingers against her shoulders but the thigh that bumped against hers when he moved, and took a sip of her beer. "I'm sure."

"I'm not those awful men who sends dick pictures to unsuspecting women," said Arthur. His fingers were still there, still making her think of things she shouldn't be thinking about a client. If his fingers were enough to make her feel this way, what would his kisses be like? "Although if you asked nicely –"

Immediately, the most inappropriate images flashed in her mind. To distract him from the heat that was rising in her cheeks, Gwen tossed a pillow at him, which he batted away easily, laughing. He moved his arm away. She wasn't quite sure how this happened. How they were both sitting on her sofa, drinking beer and just chatting. He was easy to talk to, a skill Gwen suspected he had to learn in the kind of life he led, and definitely easy on the eyes. And he acted as if he was very interested in her and Gwen had to admit she was flattered. Flattered but not a fool, she told herself.

"So," he said as he placed the cushion back on the sofa. "Is there a significant other in your life? I've already confessed that I'm tragically single."

She rolled her eyes at him. "I can't imagine that you will remain 'tragically' single for long."

"I don't plan to."

Ignoring the disappointment that flared to life in her at his words, Gwen flashed him a smile. "Well, I am happily single. In fact, since my last boyfriend decided that breaking up with me in an email was decent behaviour, I might consider swearing off men."

Arthur had shifted closer and Gwen could feel his arm against hers. "I hope you don't."

"Oh?"

"See, you're pretty key in my plans not to remain single."

"Oh." He was even closer now. So close that she could feel his breath against her ear. All she had to do was turn and she would be able to satisfy her curiosity about how he kissed.

She turned slightly.

He smiled, then dipped his head that tiny distance to brush his lips across hers. The embers of lust that had been smouldering in her since his arm brushed against hers at the kitchen counter burst into flames. She ran one hand up his chest, smoothing over his shirt as he framed her face with his hands and tugged her closer. Sighing, Gwen let him deepen the kiss, his lips warm and firm over hers. As it turned out, Arthur Pendragon was a pretty good kisser. Probably because he had several times more experience than her, Gwen thought snidely. But when Arthur's hand moved from her face to slide under her top, her thoughts turned to how far she should let this go without seeming too needy. Because needy was exactly how she was feeling.

Her disappointed groan when Arthur broke the kiss made him smile. He opened his mouth but Gwen had already come to the decision that there was nothing wrong with being needy and took the opportunity to kiss him. She pressed her weight on him, pushing him back onto the sofa until she lay on top of him. She wriggled a little, pleased to discover that if she was needy, he was clearly needier. His groan rasped against her ear, sending a ripple of pleasure through her, as she took the chance to taste him, kissing the corner of his mouth, before moving down to trail kisses across his jaw to his throat.

"Are you sure?" Arthur asked as his hands rucked up her top and caressed her back.

"Yes."

"Me too," Arthur muttered. "Me too."

* * *

She was heavy. Not when she straddled him and took her pleasure from him - then she was exquisite. But sated and sleepy, she was heavy on his chest, her warn breath puffing against his damp skin, stirring in him desires that he thought he'd tamed, not that Arthur was complaining. Threading one hand into her curls, he nuzzled her neck. Then he thought he saw movement.

"Gwen. We have an audience."

She murmured something then pressed her face into his chest.

"It's your underwear stealing cat. Perhaps he's planning another raid, easy since both our underwear is on the ground."

This time, she turned her head. With a swear, she practically leapt off him. Her cat, unfazed by it all, curled around her legs and purred.

"He's hungry," said Gwen, her eyes everywhere except on him. Then she snatched up his shirt and tugged it on. "Oh my god. We had sex in front of Excalibur. We've probably scarred him for life."

Arthur dragged on his trousers. "Excalibur is a cat."

"So?" She shot him a glare, as if it was his fault they had sex on the sofa. He distinctly remembered a dark haired woman with the most intelligent eyes and wicked mouth pressing him into the sofa and having her way with him.

Gwen went to the kitchen, put out a bowl of food for Excalibur, then as he ate, she stroked his head and murmured apologies to him. Arthur leaned against the counter and watched her hand gently run across the cat. Remembering the way her hands felt on him, he wouldn't mind being a cat right now.

Finally, she straightened and looked at him, her initial fluster gone. "He's going to remain a single, neurotic cat forever, isn't he? Unable to form attachments with other cats. And it's all our fault."

Crossing over to her, Arthur pulled her into his arms. His shirt barely covered her ass and he was pretty sure he could see her nipples. That and the memories of what happened minutes ago were enough to make him ache for her again. "I think," he said between kisses, kisses that she returned enthusiastically. "I think that we should go to your bedroom and shut the door. No reason to scar Excalibur more."

"Sounds brilliant," she said into his throat.

"And then you can show me what other underwear you have."

* * *

AN: For a friend's birthday. :)


End file.
